Hand-truck.



No; 773,027. PATENTED 0,CT.25,1904.

I L1 0. & F. R. PEOK.

HAND TRUCK.

APPLICATION IILBD P3126, 1904. N0 MODEL.

77/77/5555 w I VL /770R: I

v @m/c a V v ATTORNEYS.

- UNITED STATES- Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFIC LOUIS o. PEOK AND FRED a. rack, or BERLN, WISCONSIN.

HAND-TRUCK- SPECIFICA'IYION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,027, dated October 25, 1904.

' Applicationfiled February 26, 1904. Serial No. 195394. (No model.)

1'0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOUIS 0. Pack and FRED R. PEoK, citizens of the United States, residing at Berlin, county of Green Lake, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hand Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in hand-trucks for moving barrels, boxes, kegs, &c.; and it pertains to the peculiar construction. by which the same when adjusted to any given article is adapted to pick up, carry, and set down such article quickly and easily witl out the necessity of the user tilting such article by hand preparatory to placing it upon or removing it from the truck.

Our truck is especially adapted to be used in handling nail-kegs, beer-barrels, and similar-packages when shipped in car-load lots, in which case when adjusted to fit one of such articles it can thereafter-be used for handling any number of sucharticles without readjustment and is attached to such article simply by first bringing the lower end of the truck in contact with the side of thesame at its lower end, when by moving the operating-handle of the truck forwardly it is caused to automat-.

ically engage the chime of the barrel or keg, when by moving the handle of the truck backwardly the package is raised from the floor and supported by the truck until conveyed to the place of deposit, when it is again released from the truck by simply throwing the upper end of the handle of thetruck forwardly and disengaging the same from the chime.

The construction of our invention is explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side view of our device as adjusted preparatory to picking, up and moving a barrel. Fig. 2 represents a front view thereof. Fig. '3" represents a bottom View. Fig. a is a section drawn on line 00 0c of Fig. 2.

Like parts are identified by the same reference-letters throughout the several views.

Our truck comprises, among other things,

' the axle A, axle-supporting wheels B, operating-lever Q, truck-supporting brackets D D, and an ad ustable package-engaging hook upon its supporting-bolt.

E. The lever C is formed of two separate bars F F, which are secured together by one or more bolts or rivets F and held apart with intermediate blocksa. The upper ends of the bars Fare curved outwardly for the reception of the handle G, which is supported by and between them upon' the bolt H. The bars F F extend below the axle and are adapted when brought to the vertical to engage the floor and prevent the truck from moving backward as the load is placed upon it and are provided with apertures at A for the reception of the axle A. The supporting-brackets D are preferably formed integrally from a single piece of metal, and they are also provided with apertures for the reception of the axleA, and both said lever and brackets are secured upon the axle, said brackets being preferably interposed between the lower ends of the bars F and the hubs I of the wheels. The wheels-B are retained on the axles by the pins J. The upper ends of the brackets D are preferably pointed, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to engage the side of the package. The

hook E is connected to the adjustable bracket K by the pivotal bolt L, and the bracket K is adjustably secured to the'lever O by the bolt M and the hand-nut N.

N is a plate interposed between the handnut N and the edge of the bars F.

The shank of the hook E is provided with a plurality of apertures O for the reception of the bolt L, whereby, said hook is adapted to be adjusted nearer to or farther from the operating-handle, as may be required to adapt it to barrels with staves of different curvature or to various other packages, while said hook is adjusted longitudinally of the lever to conform to the different heights of barrels or other packages by changing the position of the adjustable bracket K. WVh'en desirous to change the position of the bracket K, it is necessary to loosen the hand-nut N on the bolt M, when the same may be movedupwardly ordownwardly to any desired position and locked in place by turning down said nut N Thus it is obvious that when the hook E has been once adjusted longitudinally and vertically, so as to properly engage the barrel or other package, it is necessary in handling such package to simply bring the lower end of the truck against the side of the barrel or other package, as shown in Fig. 1, and to incline the lever C toward the same, when, in case the package is abarrel, the hook E engages the chime, when by drawing backwardly upon the upper end of the lever said barrel will be brought to the proper position upon the truck to be handled, the hook E being preferably so adjusted as to retain the convex side of the barrel when loaded upon the truck in contact with the operatinglever. It will also be understood that when the barrel or other package has been removed it may be unloaded from the truck by simply inclining the lever G forwardly again until the lower end of the barrel or other package rests upon the floor, when the truck is disengaged therefrom by simply raising the hook E out of engagement with the package.

It will be obvious that by curving the lower ends of the bars comprising the operating-lever outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, they perform the function of braces between the lever and the axle with which they are connected.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A hand-truck comprising an operatinglever formed of two separate bars; means for securing said bars having their lower ends curved outwardly forming braces and axlesupporting bearings together; an axle and axle-supporting Wheels connected with the lower diverging ends of said bars; a pair of brackets supported from said axle and lever and means for engaging a package and holding the same in place upon said brackets and against said operating-lever, substantially as set forth.

2. A hand-truck comprising an operatinglever formed of two separate bars; means for securing said bars together, said bars having their upper ends curved outwardly forming handle-supporting arms and their lower ends curved outwardly forming axle-supporting bearings; a handle secured to the outwardlycurved ends of said bars; an axle supported at its ends in saidaxle-bearings; axle-supporting wheels secured upon the ends of said axle; package-supporting brackets connected 'with said axle and operating-lever and means for engaging a package and holding it in place upon said brackets against said operating-lever, substantially as specified.

3. A hand-truck comprising an operatinglever formed of two separate bars centrally secured together by a plurality of bolts; an axle and axle-supporting wheels connected with the lower diverging ends of said bars; a handle connected with the upper diverging ends of said bars; a pair of brackets supported from said axle; a package-retaining hook pivotally supported from said operating-lever from an adjustable bracket; means for adjustably securing said bracket and hook to the side of said operating-lever, whereby the same is adapted to be adjusted to engage and hold packages of different sizes and shapes upon the supporting-brackets of the truck, substantially as specified.

4. A hand-truck comprising an operatinglever formed of two separate bars centrally secured together by a plurality of bolts; an axle and axle-supporting wheels connected with the lower diverging ends of said bars; a handle connected with the upper diverging ends of said bars; a pair of brackets formed integrally from a single piece of metal; supported from said axle; a package-retaining hook pivotally supported from said operatinglever from an adjustable bracket; means for adjustably securing said bracket and hook to the side of said operating-lever, whereby the same is adapted to be adjusted to engage and hold packages of different sizes and shapes upon the supperting-brackets of the truck, substantially as specified.

In testimony w hereof we aliix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS C. PEUK. FRED R. PEUK.

' \Vitnesses:

HENRY 0. Hanna, 0. W. Manse. 

